July 18, 2016

Highlighted Year: Julian Fagan, 1970

Fagan averaged
41.5 yards on 199 punts in college and was chosen by the Houston Oilers in the
17th round of the 1970 NFL draft. Failing to make the club, he was
picked up by the Saints.

1970 Season Summary

Appeared in all
14 games

[Bracketed
numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Punting

Punts – 77 [9]

Most punts,
game – 8 at Minnesota 9/27, vs. Chicago 12/20

Yards – 3269 [9]

Average – 42.5
[8, 1st in NFC]

Best average,
game – 49.6 (on 5 punts) at Miami 11/15

Punts blocked
– 2

Longest punt
– 64 yards

Rushing

Attempts – 1

Yards – -6

TDs – 0

Awards &
Honors:

1st
team All-NFC: AP, Sporting News

Saints went 2-11-1
to finish fourth in the NFC West.

Aftermath:

Fagan spent
two more seasons with the Saints, averaging 41.4 yards on 77 punts in 1971 and
40.8 yards on 71 punts in ’72. Traded to the New York Jets as part of a
four-player deal that involved another punter, Steve O’Neal, in 1973, Fagan had
a poor year, averaging just 37.1 yards in his last pro season. Overall, over
the course of four years he punted 299 times for an average of 40.5 yards, with
225 of those punts for a 41.6-yard average coming with the Saints. Fagan went
on to practice law in his native Mississippi.

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Highlighted Years features players who were first-team
All-League* selections or league* or conference** leaders in the following
statistical categories: